Have you seen the beautiful wood box centerpieces everywhere? These are either filled with candles, bottles, or greenery. After visiting my aunt (she is somewhat of a farmhouse décor genius), I have become completely obsessed with these gorgeous modern farmhouse décor pieces!
Her husband upcycled old fence posts to build the most stunning, rustic boxes for her go-to centerpieces. Each holiday or season she updates the box with different arrangements of greenery, flowers, and accent pieces which seem to become more and more gorgeous with each variation.
After a few holidays of ogling her stunning boxes, my mom asked me to help design one for her. We’ve been slowly decorating her new build to transform it into her dream modern farmhouse home. We felt this piece would be a perfect complement for the breakfast room table!
My mom wasn’t entirely sure on the vision but knew she wanted to add her own modern twist. The long, skinny box look appealed to her but she was also drawn to the idea of several small square boxes. Unsure of the vision, we started with the basics. We measured the breakfast room table and drew out some different box dimensions to help her visualize the piece in her space. If you don’t do this, I highly recommend it! We tried different lengths, heights and dimensions before deciding on the long box.
The next step required selecting the right wood to frame the box. We perused through some good options at Lowes, however, we left disappointed with the lack of weathered options. After debating on weathering the wood ourselves, we decided to continue browsing. The lackluster drove us to pull pickets from our own fence to fashion a box, but it lacked the “it” factor which made the box feel authentic in the space. Finally, we called up my aunt, whom kindly donated a few spare pickets of fence from her friend’s dilapidated farm.
Now realistically, I know not everyone can run to the nearest farm and snag some beautifully aged wood. If you find yourself longing for a more weathered look, there are a ton of DIY options to look into online. If DIY isn’t your thing, Kirkland’s, Etsy, or your local farmhouse décor boutique will likely have plenty of options to chose from. Be warned – they will not be cheap! Prepare yourself to spend a pretty penny finding the right box for your space, especially if you are looking for a larger one with more character.
With my aunt’s wood in hand, we coaxed my dad into building the box. My father is quite the handyman and jumped at the chance to put his skills to good use. He angled the edges to create a sharp corner instead of following my aunt’s box design where the edge pieces overlap and rest on top of the long side pieces. This furnished a sleeker design to align with the modern farmhouse look we envisioned.
The next part, and arguably the most important, involved hours of scouring stores for the most realistic faux greenery. We chose faux greenery to keep the maintenance of the box low and make swapping greenery out before and after the holidays. Honestly nothing replaces the real thing, so feel free to use natural greenery!
Our vision included a neutral box with green variations which we could eventually add colored accents to for each holiday. We spent countless hours searching for affordable options at Kirkland’s, At Home, Tuesday Mornings and more. Unfortunately, the big box retailer lacked variety and much of the greenery felt unappealing. We found a pick here and there but decided to hit the road in search of better options.
We began visiting home décor boutiques in small, local towns and it was the best decision we ever made! Our trips helped us find gorgeous greenery and allowed us the opportunity to try delicious cuisine along the way! The prices were a bit higher but the boutiques often had sales which made the greenery more affordable.
We placed green floral foam at the bottom of the box to keep the picks in place as we built the arrangement. The entire process consisted of trial and error, spreading out like pieces, and running to the store for more! Pro Tip: You need more greenery than you think. Start structuring the greenery by placing like pieces away from each other and then fill in from there. If you are struggling to start, just stick them in – you honestly cannot mess it up!
Once your greenery is in, it’s time for the fun part! Spice up your box with fun elements in and around the centerpiece. Feel free to add intriguing accents in the greenery such as antlers, pine cones, flowers or anything else that fits your style. If your box looks lost on the table or something just doesn’t sit right, don’t stress it. Try adding a table runner underneath and position salt & pepper shakers or small accent pieces on either end.
The most important thing is to have fun with it. These centerpieces can be fully customized to fit your style and space which make them the perfect piece to have in the heart of your home. Now, what are you waiting for? Get started on your box!
